Rural-mail-delivery signaling apparatus.



Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

wwwmfoz UNITED STATES PAlENT OFFICE.

CLYDE IF. COLLIER, OF LAKEVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 JOHN C. LAKE OF BIG- PRAIRIE, OHIO.

RURAL-MAIL-DELIVERY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

To, all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CLYDE F. COLLIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lakeville, in thecounty'of Holmes and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rural-Mail- Delivery Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specificatiomreference being had to the accompanying drawing his invention relates to improvements in rural maildelivery signaling apparatus.

One object of the invention is. to provide a semaphore signal, adapted to be employed in connection with the delivery and collection of rural mail,-

live some little distance therefrom, has placed mail matter in their 'box and whereby the owners of the box may-inform t e carrier when there is mail in the box for collection, thus saving a of the mail box to the fact that mail has been placed'therein, particularly when for any reason the semaphore signal cannot be seen from the owners house.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully departing from the spirit of the invention.

11 the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in'the several views: Figure 1 is a side view of my improved signal, showing the signal arm and target in a lowered position indicating that the mail box is empty. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the target raised to its highest position in full lines,

Specification of Letters Patent.

whereby the carrier may great deal of timewhich is usually lost by both owner and car- I yond lower end anchored or secured in the ground in any suitable manner. -To the preferably near its upper target attaching plate 2,

pole and end 18 secured a having thereon Patented Mar. 9, 1915. Application filed January 4, 1912. Serial No. 669,402.

near one of its upper corners a stop lug Pivoted on the plate 2 having on one may be of any in any desired The opposite or shorter end of the arm 4, is curved downwardly as shown, and has an eye 6.

To the pole or post 1 at a point within reach from the ground is'secured a lever supporting plate 7, which is bent around and embraces the pole atone end and has its opposite end rounded and projecting bethe pole as shown. On the rounded arranged a plurality of or lugs 8, three of which are preferably provided. Pivotally connected at its inner end to the plate 7 is a target is a target arm 4,

plate and has formed thereon a handle 10. The pivot bolt 11, of the lever extends beyond the outer side of the same and has thereon a nut 11, between which and the 12, whereby from one to the other The lever 9 is connected to the eye 6 in the shorter end of the target arm by an operating rod 13, whereby he movement of the lever is imparted to the target arm and target, and the latter adjusted to the desired Secured to the pole or post 1 preferably below the lever supporting plate is a mail box supporting bracket 14, to which is fastened the mail box 15. The box 15 may be of any suitable construction and is preferably provided with a hinged cover 16 adapted to be held down in closed position bya finger formed therein 17, on the target operating lever 9, when the latter is swung down to elevate the target to the position for indicating that mail has been placed in the box. The finger 17 when thus engaged with the cover of the box will prevent the same from being blown or otherwise casually opened while there is mail in the box.

At a suitable position on the pole is preferably arranged a sign board 18, on which may be placed the name, address or route number of the owner of the box, or any other information which it may be desired to display.

In the operation of the device, when the carrier has placed mail in the box, he swings the lever 9 downwardly into engagement with the lower tooth on the plate 7 which operation will lift or swing the target arm and target upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, thus indicating to the owners of thebox that mail has been placed therein. lVhen mail is removed from the box, the lever is released from the lower tooth and swung upwardly into engagement with the upper tooth, thus lowering the target to the position shown in Fig. 1, in which position the same remains until more mail is placed in the box. In thus swinging the target to its raised and lowered positions, the target arm will come into engagement with the stop lug 3 on the plate 2, which will limit the movement of the arm and hold the same in position.

\Vhen it is desired to signal to the carrier that mail has been placed in the boxfor collection, the lever is swung down into engagement with the middle or intermediate tooth on the plate 7, thus raising the target only half way up.

In connection with my signaling device I employ an electric alarm mechanism comprising an electric circuit 32, in which is arranged a bell 33, and a battery 34. ()ne terminal of the circuit is connected with the fixed member 35, of a switch secured to the plate 7 of the target operating lever, and the other terminal of the circuit is connected to the movable member 36, of the switch, said member 36 bein in the form of a spring arm having on its end a contact knob- 3 a apted tobe engaged by the lever 9, when the latter is swung downwardly to operate the target, and to be pressed down by the arm into engagementwith the fixed members of the switch, thereby completing the electric circuit and soundin the alarm. From the fore oing description taken in connection with t e drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various'chan es in the form, proportion and the minor etails of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advanta es of the invention as claimed.

I-Iaving thus described my said invention, what I c aim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a rural mail delivery signaling apparatus, a supporting post, a signal target pivotally mounted thereon, means whereby said target is elevated, means to support the same at different angles, a mail box secured to said post, and means carried by said target operating mechanism to engage and hold down the cover of the box when the target is in a raised position.

2. In a rural mail delivery signaling apparatus, arm pivotally mounted thereon, a signal target arranged on said arm, a lever supporting plate secured to the post, ratchet teeth arranged on said plate, a target operating lever pivoted on sald plate, an operating rod to connect said lever with said target arm whereby when the lever is swung around into engagement with said teeth, said arm and target will be held at different angles, thereby forming difi'ercnt signals, a

mail box secured to said post, a finger carried by said lever to en age and hold the cover of the box in closed position, an electric alarm circuit, an alarm arranged therein and a circuit closer arranged on said lever supporting plate and adapted to be engaged and closed by said lever when the lat ter is depressed to raise the target.

In testimon whereof I affix my signature,

in presence 0 two witnesses.

CLYDE F. COLLIER.

Witnesses:

JOHN Kmnenn, JACOB BOWMAN.

a supporting post, a signal target 

